


To take out

by Dusklatte



Series: Three Houses Coffee Shop AU [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: AU, Catherine and Flayn are mentioned, Courtesy of Rhea and Byleth, Crushes, Dimitri's excessive strength also extends to coffee cups, Edelgard and dimitri are claude's coworkers, F/M, First Date, Lame nicknames at that, Nicknames, SMASH EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM, barista claude heck yeah, coffee shop AU, obligatory coffee shop au, overprotective dad, unrequited crushes, which are actually requited
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-08-10 17:36:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20139355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dusklatte/pseuds/Dusklatte
Summary: As punishment for a foiled scheme, Claude is made to work in Rhea'sterriblynamed coffee shop.One of the regulars gets his attention.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I HATE THAT I GOT THIS IDEA BUT I LIVE FOR IT AT THE SAME TIME-

Claude revelled in his reputation as the city’s most well-known ‘mischief’. He was often called that or a ‘menace’, but he much preferred the word ‘schemer’ to describe his antics. Everyone who lived in the Leicester district of the city had at some point been victim of, or an accomplice with his plots, and progressively, he had been gaining ‘notoriety’ in the Faerghus and Adrestian districts too.

Now, the time where he _may _have got into trouble with the authorities was when he was doing something small and irrelevant – nothing to take concern of whatsoever! All he did was send Rhea a joke love letter, pretending to be from the man who lived down the road from her! After all, the man _did _move about a lot, and maybe Rhea could have helped the poor guy settle down!

Catherine, the officer who had caught him as he posted the letter… She thought otherwise.

As a result, Claude had been told to make ‘amends’ by assisting in the shop which Rhea ran with her scary friend who lived across the road from her – Seteth.

_This was exactly how Claude had been wanting to spend his summer…_

_Working in a coffee shop…_

_Not._

* * *

* * *

“Ten minutes late on your first day, von Riegan… Disappointing.” Claude had barely stepped through the door of the cafe – _cringily named ‘Garreg Macchiato’ after the old monastery which used to be located at the centre of the city, he noted – _when he found himself being chastised by Seteth.

Claude was very much familiar with Seteth and his stern ways (Seteth’s sister Flayn was often a victim to his schemes), so he simply shrugged and continued walking inside. “Not my fault that this place is so hard to get to from my house. Plus I don’t even want to be here, so-”

Seteth was already muttering under his breath, before there was a loud sigh from the man. “Claude. You do realise that Rhea is willing to _pay _you for working here and staying out of trouble?”

_Money was good – and had never been mentioned when he was told that his punishment was to work here._

“So… Where do I start then?”

In a matter of seconds, Claude found a yellow apron (presumably the uniform) being tossed at him, whilst Seteth called over two people who were behind the counter at the time. “Claude. Meet Edelgard and Dimitri. They will be your coworkers, and they shall teach you the ropes. The cafe opens in twenty minutes, so that should be enough time to teach you how to work the checkout at the very least.”

Claude glanced at the two people of a similar age to him who had walked over, before he raised an eyebrow. “Well, lookie here… Guess I’m gonna be working with Blaiddyd and Hresvelg for the summer – delightful. Simply _wonderful.”_

“The same can be said about you, Claude.” Edelgard was quick to turn her back, and returned to the coffee machines behind the counter to make sure that they were ready for the first customers’ arrivals.

Dimitri remained silent for a brief moment, before he ran his hand through his hair upon the realisation that he had been not-so-subtly relegated the job of teaching Claude how to take orders and use the cash register.

“Come on, Claude...”

“Yessir!” Claude then winked and saluted at Dimitri.

_Both Edelgard and Dimitri already knew that they were in for a long few weeks..._

* * *

* * *

The morning had passed by without many problems at all. Dimitri had successfully taught Claude all that he needed for the time being, and it had been decided that Edelgard was to teach him how to make the actual drinks which were on the menu that afternoon.

However, the pair had decided to take their lunch break _at the exact same time. _

Claude had been left to hold down the fort, completely unsure of how to do anything aside from repeat words, take money, and tell Edelgard what drinks to make.

It was only fortunate that only one customer arrived during the time that he was alone.

The lady who walked in was probably a similar age to him, likely only two or three years older than him at most. She looked very… Unique. Her hair was dark, and her eyes a deep blue. Her clothes also had a similar dark theme.

_She also had no idea about the concept of putting her arms in her jacket sleeves._

“So, missy… What can I get for you?”

The lady had a blank look in her eyes, before she tilted her head in confusion. “My usual…?” She then remained silent for a moment, examining Claude’s face as he tried to understand what she had just said. “Oh… You must be new here. I normally get a large black coffee to go – quite strong.”

_Claude felt that he should have expected that she would order something like a black coffee. _

“Right… Um… I’ve not made any drinks properly yet, so-”

“Don’t worry if it’s bad. It doesn’t matter as long as it’s coffee.”

_And he hadn’t been expected to hear that. It was almost as though she knew exactly what he wanted to hear._

“Niiiice!” Claude grinned and snapped his fingers as he pointed at her, before turning around to try and make the drink. It took a few minutes for him to get hold of what exactly he needed to do to make the coffee, but he couldn’t help but feel the woman’s eyes intently staring at him as he deftly moved his fingers about. “Just… a minute...”

Finally, Claude was finished. His forehead was beaded with sweat as he placed the paper cup in front of her, before he scratched his chin as he tried to figure out the price. It seemed that she knew though, as she placed down more than enough gold to pay for the drink. “The drink looks perfect… Keep the change.”

Claude felt _drunk _on the slight smile on her face as she walked out, and his mouth was slightly agape when she turned back and gave him a slight wave. This was just as Edelgard and Dimitri returned, surprised that Claude had _actually _served a customer.

* * *

* * *

Claude was one week into his ‘punishment’ by working at the coffee shop. Seteth had been shocked that for some _bizarre _reason, he was enjoying himself. Rhea had told him to not be so intent on wearing Claude down, but to instead encourage him to use his talents in a more productive manner.

The woman who had caught his attention on his first day had continued to visit day in, day out. She would do the same thing each day – wait for Edelgard and Dimitri to go on their lunch breaks, before going in and ordering a large black coffee, and paying more than necessary for the drink. She had also progressed from a very slight smile to making a tiny bit of small talk. It was always very obvious things they would talk about though.

One of those conversations had stuck in his head.

“_The clouds… they’re gray.”_

“_Yep. Probably going to rain… Fun, eh?”_

“_Um… I don’t know. But… I agree that it probably will rain.” _

Claude was honestly concerned that the lady didn’t even know how to use emotions.

However, he didn’t have the time to think about that at present. Rhea had informed him that there was to be a large celebration that day – something about a mid-summer parade?

It meant that the coffee shop was absolutely _cram packed. _For that matter, it was that busy, Seteth, Rhea and Flayn were also working just to keep on top of things. Edelgard and Dimitri were in charge of making the drinks and gathering the food. Rhea would be helping the customers find spaces to sit, and to help with keeping the queue in check. Seteth and Flayn were clearing the tables and bringing people’s orders to them if they were staying in the cafe.

Claude was stuck in the firing line.

He was doing his best to take orders and payments, remembering the orders, dictating the orders to Edelgard and Dimitri, giving the correct change, and also giving the correct orders to people who were taking their orders out.

_He wasn’t called a schemer for nothing though…_

Claude came up with a system to keep on top of things. He would take the name of people when taking their orders if they were taking their order out. He would then write it on the paper cups as he passed them over to have the drinks made. That in turn allowed him to give the correct people the correct drinks.

When he was getting into the flow of things though… He met a familiar pair of hazy blue eyes.

“Oh… You’re back again! The usual, I guess?” The lady nodded. However, Claude knew that he couldn’t let his system fail now. “It’s quite busy at the moment...”

“Yes. I can see. There is hardly room to stand.”

“Yeah. I’m writing people’s names on the cups so I give the right people the right drinks. I kinda, um… Need your name...”

There was silence between the two for a moment, with all the background noise of the cafe seemingly disappearing.

“Byleth. Do you need my full name? It’s Byleth Eisner.”

_Eisner. That sounded familiar… Claude couldn’t quite put his finger on why though._

“I’m fine with just your first name...” Claude muttered, his eyes not leaving hers as he scribbled the name on a cup. “I’ll call you when it’s done, Byleth...”

_He hadn’t quite realised that his face had gone completely red by that point. _

_Fortunately his red face could be put down to the temperature inside the cafe._

“So… Who is next?”

About five minutes later, when the queues had finally started to calm down, Claude had a cup put down in front of him by Dimitri, to be given to the person who had ordered the drink. Claude could tell by the strong smell and illegible writing on the cup that this was Byleth’s drink.

He… decided to do something stupid before calling her name.

Hastily, he grabbed one of the paper napkins, and his pen. He scrawled a quick note on it.

‘_Wanna hang out some time? I’m in work tomorrow but I’m off on Sunday >-~ - __Claude__’_

Taking a deep breath, he then called out for Byleth, and picked up the cup with the napkin. “Sorry about the wait… Also, it’s quite hot outside so I thought you could do with a napkin to wipe your face if you get too hot.”

Byleth put on a surprisingly large smile for her, before paying, giving her thanks, and leaving. He saw her look at the napkin on her way out.

_She looked back at him and nodded._

He was blushing.

“Claude. Now is not the time to be getting crushes on or gawking at our customers!”

And Edelgard spoiled the moment.

* * *

* * *

Claude felt light on his feet that Saturday. He couldn’t wait at all for the next day – he was actually going to get the chance to know Byleth not as a customer, but as a person! It was almost _exhilarating._

Even Seteth had praised him on his work ethic that day.

However, he seemed to become more and more antsy and restless the closer it got to lunchtime.

_Lunchtime was Byleth’s typical time to order her drink, after all._

Today though, Edelgard had decided that she was to be the one dealing with taking orders, leaving Dimitri responsible for cleaning and serving tables, whilst Claude made drinks and prepared any food which was ordered.

Claude felt disappointed at that, but he didn’t mind.

_Even if he couldn’t take Byleth’s order, he would still be seeing her tomorrow!_

Unfortunately, as it neared the time where Byleth would make her order… A man which Claude had _not _wanted to encounter again walked in. So, he decided to sneak off onto his lunch break.

“Ah, Jeralt! Good afternoon, what can I do for you today?” Edelgard asked, Claude quickly picking up his pace towards the break room.

“I’m going to be having lunch with my daughter here today. And apologies for the request, but I want to be served by _him.”_ Claude froze to the spot when he felt two pairs of eyes fall on him from behind. “Yeah, you, yellow aproned kid.”

Claude gulped.

_That man was Jeralt. The very man he had pretended to be when writing a fake love letter to Rhea which resulted in him getting this job as punishment._

Slowly he turned around, giving Edelgard a glare from the corner of his eye as he walked over to the counter. “Good afternoon sir… What are you ordering?” Claude did his best not to make _any _eye contact.

Jeralt snorted at Claude’s awkwardness, and the fact that Dimitri had joined in with Edelgard in being curious about the situation from the sidelines. “Well, if you didn’t hear what I said to your colleague, I’m going to be having lunch with my daughter today. I’ll have a large black coffee – a strong one – and for her… A mint tea with sugar in. And one of them chocolate muffins. She denies it but she’s got a real sweet tooth, that kid of mine. Just like her mother...”

Claude was quite surprised that Jeralt was talking so… casually to him.

_Did he not know about the prank he had played? Strange…_

After Jeralt had paid, Claude reluctantly went about making the drinks and getting the muffin together for him. Convenient that Edelgard and Dimitri were now on their lunch break, and were sitting at a table in the corner watching with amusement.

Then the cafe door opened, the bell above it making a delicate ringing noise. Claude’s eyes went straight to the door, and his face turned red when he saw Byleth walk inside.

_That had not gone unnoticed by Jeralt._

Byleth then walked over to the counter, and looked up at Jeralt. “Hello, father. Have you already ordered for us?” Claude tensed up at a particular word she had said.

_Father._

_ **Just how had he not made that association earlier?!** _

_Her name was Byleth Eisner._

_He was **the **Jeralt Eisner._

_The daughter of Jeralt, the very man he had mimicked in a scheme of his, was the centre of his attention right now. _

_Oh, if the goddess did exist, she was likely laughing at just how **screwed **he was._

“Father, I’m going to sit at that table over there.”

“Okay, kid. I just want to chat to this guy before I join you.”

Claude’s hands were turning all clammy now as he poured the black coffee into a cup. Jeralt’s cup.

_Oh damn, Byleth’s regular order was actually her getting a drink for Jeralt!_

Once Byleth had gone to sit down at the table, Jeralt leaned forward over the counter and took a _very _firm grasp of Claude’s shoulder. “Now, son… I’ve just got a few things I need to say to you. First of all – you make a damn good drink. And second… My Byleth isn’t good with emotions. Never has been. But she hasn’t shut up about the ‘cheerful man with the yellow apron at the cafe’ since you started working here. So, let me get one thing straight… You’ve got one chance – you screw up, and you won’t even see what I’ve got coming for you.” Jeralt then released Claude’s shoulder, and chuckled at the slight panic on his face. “And also… Don’t send Rhea letters pretending to be me again, Claude von Riegan. Yeah, I heard about what you did. Let’s just say… I don’t have many good memories from when I was young and worked with that woman.”

“Y- Yes sir-!” Claude stammered, before turning his back to let out the breath he hadn’t realised he had been holding in.

“Hey, you don’t mind bringing the order over to our table when you’re done? You can arrange a time to meet with Byleth tomorrow when you do. Word of warning – she is not a morning person.”

In a slight rush, Claude then made the tea for Byleth – making sure to add enough sugar, as per Jeralt’s order – and retrieved one of the chocolate muffins.

As soon as he picked up the tray to take it over to the table, he got an idea. He intentionally walked past the table with Edelgard and Dimitri, and smirked. “Hey, you two… I’m gonna go on my lunch when I’ve delivered this. I’ve got a _date _to arrange, and I _highly _doubt you two have anything to deal with other than that growing queue over there...” He gestured over to the counter, and walked over to the Eisner table.

_This was exactly how Claude had been wanting to spend his summer…_

_Working in a coffee shop…_

_Yep._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may do a follow up on this with Claude and Byleth's date, if people want~


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Claude's day off - the day he had set aside to have a date with Byleth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh, I was so overwhelmed by the amount of comments asking for the date to be added! It's only short, but I hope it's okay!

Claude had woke up that morning feeling... weird. Not a bad weird, but a good weird. This time a few weeks ago, he felt his only purpose in life was to scheme. Scheming against people who were oh so silly and unintentionally revealed their weaknesses to him. Now... Now though, he had achieved the impossible – he had started working as a barista at a coffee shop, and found his own weakness.

His weakness was called Byleth Eisner.

He had already gotten over the fact that his job was a form of punishment, because being able to see Byleth… Damn, it was rewarding.

Everything had been arranged for later that day – Claude was to meet Byleth at noon, and they’d do whatever they wanted to (within reason, as he still felt shivers down his spine at Jeralt’s threat). He loved when he was given the opportunity to do whatever he wanted – there was just something so… _liberating _about it.

Claude had ended up waking up quite early, but that was so he had the opportunity to plan where to go with Byleth, if she felt up to it. He also knew that he needed to get ready – he could smell coffee lingering around him, and though he liked the smell, he didn’t want his work getting into every aspect of his life.

So, Claude obviously went and had a shower.

_Except, there was a loud knock at his door mid-shower. _

Claude knew that he wasn’t expecting anyone at this time, so he ignored it. Or at least, he ignored it until the knocking continued. Despite the fact that he was drenched, he pulled his trousers on and went to investigate who was making such a loud noise.

He opened his door, and was _not _expecting to see Byleth stood there, especially considering that A – she did not know his address, and B – there was at least another three hours before he was meant to meet her!

“O- Oh! Um… B- Byleth...” Claude felt extremely awkward, stood there dripping wet and wearing nothing but his trousers. “It’s, uh… pretty early?”

Byleth did something which turned his face quite red then, and bit down on her lip. “Sorry… I ended up waking up early somehow. That, and my father was being a bit overprotective and… overbearing. And nostalgic. He kept talking about his first date with my mother and went into far too much detail.” She rubbed her eyes then, and sighed. “I can come back at the right time?”

“No!” Claude didn’t expect to shout so loud (or to grab hold of her wrist) so he sighed and shook his head as he tried to rephrase himself. “No, you should stay… Isn’t your home quite far from here? Maybe, uh… We could, um-”

_Byleth was definitely his weakness. He had never turned into such a mess to the point he forgot to use words before now!_

“Start our date early…?”

“Yes! Yes exactly! Though, uh… Maybe I should put a shirt on first?”

“And make it look like you didn’t just rush out of the shower because of a knock on the door?”

“Oh, uh… And that. Y- Yeah...”

_Heck. He was a complete blushing, flustered mess at this point._

  


_Byleth was 100% his one and only weakness._

  


* * *

* * *

  


Much to Claude’s surprise, Byleth had asked him to go to a park with her. And all because she had heard that the stream which ran through it had some beautiful looking fishes swimming through it at this time of year.

Claude didn’t mind that. Actually, he _loved _the idea.

_The reason why?_

_The park was opposite the coffee shop he had been working in. He could taunt Edelgard and Dimitri through the window._

Byleth had more than her usual slight smile on her face when they arrived at the park, before she slowly walked over to the water, and crouched down to look in. “They’re quite amazing, some of these fishes…” She then dipped her hand into the water, before gesturing for Claude to join her with her other. “Their scales reflect the sunlight, making them look almost as though they are jewels in the water.”

“Tell me more, Teach!”

“Teach…?”

_Oh hell. That curious tilt of the head, combined with the hand under her chin… He was even more smitten with her._

“Y- Yeah!” Claude turned his back, and awkwardly covered his face so as not to let her know that he, Claude von Riegan, had become a blubbering mess due to her cuteness. “You seem to really know your stuff! Like a teacher – hence… Teach!”

Byleth was completely silent as she walked around him so that she could face him once more, before she began to laugh. “I suppose I must give you a nickname too, it is only fair...” She then watched as Claude uncovered his face through shock. “Claudey boy.”

“H- Hey, it’s not a nickname if it’s longer than the actual name!”

“Okay, Claudey boy.”

“And I’m not a boy – I’m a man!”

“Fine – Claudey man.”

“… Claudey boy sounds better.”

“Let’s stick with that then.”

The pair remained in a comfortable silence after that, the only noise in the air being that of the flowing stream. Neither of them knew when their hands laced together, but they didn’t care. Claude noted that her hands were strangely cold.

Soon enough, Byleth tugged Claude down into a sitting position on the grass, and pulled off her shoes to dip them into the water. The water was cold – similar to her hands. Compared to the heat of the sun blaring down on them, it was quite a relief.

After another five minutes, Byleth broke the silence. “People say that on a date, you normally have to do things such as sit down to have a meal, or go somewhere such as the theatre or cinema. I don’t get where they come from with that. This is really nice...”

Claude turned to face her, and grinned. “I can’t help but agree. But then again, neither of us are normal, are we?” He then smirked as she raised one of her eyebrows. “Well, for myself, I am known as a nuisance. I’m always scheming something.”

“Are you scheming anything right now?”

“Yeah – but I’ll let you in on that later.” He then paused, and tried to remember what else he was going to say. “Now, where was I...” Claude eventually remembered, and laughed quietly. “And you – you’re… strange. I can’t read how you are feeling, and even your dad said that you weren’t good with emotions. Yet… I was able to get you to smile.”

Byleth’s face turned a pale shade of red.

“Actually, make that smile _and _blush.”

Silence fell between them once more. They ended up lying down on the grass, hands still intertwined.

As Claude had mentioned earlier, he had been scheming. It wasn’t a scheme to cause mischief or to act ‘malicious’, as it was sometimes put. No… This scheme was to help him deal with his feelings.

Initially, his scheme had plans to taunt Edelgard and Dimitri as they were working with the fact that he had a date. His desire to do that had completely dissipated, as he had really enjoyed his time with Byleth, and wanted to spend more time with her. He’d have tried to scheme to spend the whole day with her, but based on his interactions with Jeralt the day before…

_Yeah, that would not be a good idea._

So, if he couldn’t spend the whole day with her, he at least wanted to come up with a way to ask her out again.

Little did he know… She would be the one to provide him with his answers.

“This is comfortable… And you’re wonderful to spend time with, Claude,” she began, turning her head to face him. “So… I have a proposition. Same time next week?”

Claude turned to face her, and squeezed her hand slightly. “It’s a date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this has made me wanna draw barista Claude... So when I've done that I will post it on my Twitter, @ClaudeEmblem  
>u<


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claude is a good mood in work, following on from his date with Byleth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to demand, I have decided to continue this~! I've started plotting things out for future chapters, and it is likely to alternate between coffee shop and Byleth and Claude interacting on a date or whatever-  
I have a few fun things set out, though I am open to suggestions!

“How strange… He has been so hard-working and cheerful all day! He must be plotting some form of malicious scheme, I just know it!”

“Flayn, I understand your scepticism… However, I believe that Claude is filled with genuine happiness. I heard that he had a date over the weekend, and with Jeralt’s daughter, no less,” Rhea explained as she remained stood by the doorway of the break room at the cafe, with Flayn and Seteth by her side. “They went to the park across the road from here – you could see them walking and holding hands every once in a while.”

“Rhea… You are awfully accepting of this. I understand that there is a _possibility _of attraction between Claude and Miss Byleth, but she and her father are our most frequent customers. If Claude were to do anything reckless or pull her into one of his schemes, we could _very _easily lose their custom! It’s surprising enough that Jeralt and his daughter come here, given your past with him.”

“_Seteth. _I know that you have your concerns, but please put your trust in Claude. He is capable and intelligent – and also our employee. We must put our trust in him.”

The three continued looking at Claude as he continued serving customers with a wide grin on his face, with each customer leaving with a smile.

* * *

* * *

Claude was humming to himself as he wiped clean the counter by the tills at the shop. Dimitri had been serving drinks whilst Claude had to clean up some of the messy tables, but there had been a loud clatter. When he turned to the checkout, he saw Dimitri apologising profusely to one of the customers who had come to collect their drink before they sat at a table.

_Dimitri had somehow managed to well and truly shatter a cup, pouring coffee everywhere._

So, Claude exchanged tasks with his embarrassed colleague. Dimitri was clearing tables, he was making and serving the drinks. He had taken time whilst there wasn’t anyone ordering to clean up Dimitri’s mess. _Of course, it would have been easier for him i__f__ Edelgard had… You know._ _Actually turned up for work._

_And Dimitri… How did he manage to break the cup? He had hold of the handle, yet it was the rest of the cup in a million pieces! The handle was the only intact part!_

As he finished cleaning though, he heard a quiet cough for attention from the other side of the counter. “Too busy to serve me, Claudey-boy?” He looked up, and his face turned red.

“_Teach! _You could have let me know that you were there earlier! I was busy cleaning up Dimitri’s mess...” Claude then tossed the damp paper towel into a bin under the counter, before leaning forward with a smirk. “So… What can I get for you today?”

Byleth leaned forward too, a sly smile creeping across her face. “I would love the drink which you made for me the other day… A mint tea with lots of sugar.”

“Ah, is that so? How come there is no drink for Jeralt?”

“He had to leave town for work… And that’s another reason why I am here. Would you like to visit my house when you are finished up here today? I thought that maybe… we could get to know each other more. Over… a movie. And popcorn.”

“Hmm, consider me intrigued..” Claude grinned, before taking a step back and turning around to make Byleth’s drink. “Though, Miss Eisner… How mischievous of you – inviting a man to your home at night… Just _what _would your father say?” He took hold of the tea leaves, and started brewing the water. “Would he not have given you a particular _talk, _if he knew that you were going to-!”

Claude was cut off by a loud, frantic voice just to his side. “Claude-! Wh- What on _earth _are you talking about? And to a customer no less?! If there is a topic inappropriate for the workplace… _This is it! _Y- You don’t talk about _that!__”_ Dimitri was flustered and exasperated, his face a vivid red shade. He then ran his hand through his hair, his mouth moving but his voice silent.

Byleth tilted her head in confusion. “Talk about… what? Sleepovers? I never realised that sleepovers were a taboo subject in the workplace...”

Silently, Claude put a few spoonfuls of sugar into her drink, before placing the lid on top. He then leaned into her ear as he took her payment, and passed over the drink. “I’ll explain tonight… Dimitri is just being a _bit _of a prude right now.” He then leaned back, and winked. “I finish at five today – wanna meet just outside then?”

Byleth nodded, and an innocent smile formed on her face. She then turned to Dimitri, and waved at him. “I’ll see you soon, Dimi.”

_And when she left, Dimitri covered his face in embarrassment, whilst Claude simply looked offended._

“Welcome to the world of Byleth’s nicknames… After I called her ‘Teach’ the other day, she’s given me the nickname ‘Claudey-boy’. You get a good one though! ‘Dimi’ sounds cute, whereas ‘Claudey-boy’…? Nah. That’s straight up lame...”

“Maybe she is implying that you’re lame! We’ve been waiting for five minutes for you to take our order!” Claude then glanced at the counter, and winced.

_Ah. Yes… He had a job. And… he was certain that Seteth was somewhere in the background, glaring at him as the queue got longer._

_He just had to get through the next three hours… then he would be free. If Seteth would allow him and Dimitri to live that long, that was._


	4. Change within the workplace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claude arrives to work in the middle of quite the scene.

Claude was stunned when he arrived to work. The atmosphere was tense, and people seemed to be avoiding the coffee shop in general.

_Probably because of the argument which appeared to be happening inside._

He was simply stood in the doorway, exchanging concerned glances with Dimitri as the shouting continued between Edelgard, Seteth and Rhea. It appeared as though the older pair were unhappy with Edelgard for some reason, based on what was being yelled back and forth.

“Your methods are old and outdated – at times illegal! Yet, as you have law enforcement on your side, you get away with it! This is ridiculous, and I have no desire to work under such heinous conditions!” Edelgard snapped, her hands slamming down against the counter. “Unless you rectify these problems, I shall refuse to obey your orders.”

Rhea looked… extremely agitated at what had been said. Unfortunately, Claude could sympathise – his job role had simply been a form of punishment, and his pay was far below the minimum he should have been getting. There were no contracts, no end dates to the ‘punishment’… He could be stuck there for the rest of eternity, for all that he knew.

“You _spiteful _little girl! You know nothing of the difficulties it has taken to form this establishment! Everything that we do is for a reason, and we are assured that all procedures are correct and legal! Such accusations are baseless!” Rhea’s voice was loud, almost hissing. He… he really didn’t like the sound of it.

_He made a mental note to never get on Rhea’s bad side. It was fortunate that he hadn’t in the past, actually…_

“Well, if that is how you react, then take this as my resignation.” Edelgard removed the red apron which she would usually wear, and dropped it on the floor. She made a point of scuffing her shoes against it too. “Come now, Hubert. My family are preparing to open our own coffee shop… One which isn’t as outdated as _this _place,” she muttered, her friend suddenly appearing from a seat by the window and making Claude jump through surprise. “If either of you know any sense, you will resign as soon as possible too.” Her last words were directed at Dimitri and Claude as she briskly walked out.

The atmosphere was extremely heavy in the shop after that, and the tension could easily have been cut by a knife.

“… Claude. Dimitri. Please prepare for today’s opening.”

* * *

* * *

With a groan, Claude sank down into one of the plush booth seats in the cafe when his lunch break had arrived. Edelgard’s sudden resignation had led to much more work for him and Dimitri, and in turn, meant that they had less opportunities to take the breaks which they needed.

Byleth had visited the cafe just before he had taken his lunch, so she was sat opposite to him, today with a drink of iced tea. She was stirring in a few sachets of sugar with a spoon as she watched how Claude was doing his best to not look like an absolute mess in front of her.

“Has it been a busy day today, Claudey?” Noticing the slight change in nickname, Claude opened one of his eyes as he nodded. “I can tell, you’re still trying to catch your breath and you look a bit sweaty.”

He sighed, and sat up a bit straighter. “I gotta say, it was a complete disaster when I arrived this morning, Teach.” He rested his chin on his hand as he leaned forwards onto the table. “You know the girl who worked here? Edelgard?”

“Red apron?”

“Yeah. She was yelling at Rhea about how the running of the cafe was basically illegal. Quit there and then. After that everything has just been left to me and Dimitri.” Byleth’s eyes widened in shock, before she finished stirring her drink. “Imagine this – it’s just you and one other guy who has a tendency to smash cups. You get a big order for a family who are visiting. At least three hot drinks, two cold drinks, and a couple of cakes. Oh, and one of them are lactose intolerant. You’ve got less than five minutes to get it sorted. That’s the sort of day today is...”

Byleth winced as she took a small sip of her drink. “They can’t have just you and Dimi working on a day like today, can they?”

“It’s all they’ve got. Edelgard told me and Dimitri to quit too, but… I’m still repaying my debt for the prank I played on your dad and Rhea, and Dimitri is far too loyal to quit.”

Byleth slowly nodded, before she gulped her drink down at surprising speed. She then stood up and folded her arms over. “Where is Rhea?”

“I, uh… think she’s at the back. Customers aren’t allowed back there-”

“Then tell her I want to see her."

Claude was confused as he did as Byleth had asked, ate his lunch, and resumed working. Dimitri had noticed the glances he had been giving towards the door leading to the back of the cafe, but decided it was just Claude being paranoid over the situation with Edelgard from that morning.

Soon enough, Byleth emerged from the door with Rhea, both women smiling and laughing. Claude was stunned, especially considering how enraged Rhea had been that day. What confused him even more was Byleth then slipping to behind the counter, and resting her arm over his shoulder.

“Uh, Teach…?” He was well and truly puzzled. “Why are you behind the-?”

“Claude, Dimitri.” Rhea sounded calm for the first time that day as she addressed her two employees. “Meet your newest co-worker, Byleth Eisner. She heard of our hardships from this morning, and kindly offered to assist as we work through these difficult times in the cafe.”

_With that, Claude had been broken._

_His girlfriend-slash-favourite customer was now his girlfriend-slash-colleague._


End file.
